Justin Brownlee’s return to form a silver lining in Gilas Pilipinas' home loss vs. Australia

Justin Brownlee was hardly a factor in Gilas Pilipinas’ first home stand against New Zealand last Thursday, scoring only four points as the Filipinos suffered a narrow 69-66 loss to open the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers Window 2.

But the naturalized import made sure he wouldn’t go silent the next time Gilas took center stage.

Brownlee, who was held to 2-for-10 shooting from the field against the Tall Blacks, bounced back in style against Australia, drilling four three-pointers and finishing with 20 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and a steal.

His performance stood out as one of the few silver linings for Gilas Pilipinas, even as the national team suffered a lopsided 93-66 defeat to the Boomers on Sunday night at the jam-packed Mall of Asia Arena.

But Brownlee emphasized that the team’s focus wasn’t on individual stats, saying he would have wanted to deliver a victory, especially against Australia, a team that the Philippines hasn't beaten since 1974.

"It always feels good to get in the rhythm, but our main focus for tonight was to try to get the win. The main goal was to get a win," Brownlee said.

"But individually, as a player, you wanna get in rhythm and get going for the team but it wasn’t good enough. We just gotta regroup and come out stronger next time."

Gilas Pilipinas now aims to move past this pair of tough losses, with Brownlee keeping his focus on the bigger picture as the national team prepares for the third window in July.

Gilas Pilipinas will still face a rematch against New Zealand on July 3, followed by another clash with Australia on July 6, with both games scheduled as away matches.

"This window definitely gave us a lot of experience., playing teams like New Zealand and Australia," Brownlee added.

"They’re some of the best teams worldwide so I appreciate this  experience. Hopefully, we just get better from it."

—JMB, GMA Integrated News